Happy First Fourth of July, Noah Lyman!
by SeaDog11
Summary: Part 4 of "The Mistletoe Series"


**Happy First Fourth of July, Noah Lyman!**

**Part 4 of "The Mistletoe Series"**

**Okay so I literally just typed this up today on a whim, so it might be trash, and for that I apologize. Any spark of inspiration or extra energy I have, I'm just writing what comes to mind. You can read any part of the "Mistletoe Series" out of order at this point and it should still make sense. Although Baby Lyman's nickname will only make sense if you read the Christmas chapter (chapter 3 in Mistletoe Part 1). I hope you enjoy this domestic and fluffy chapter (okay there is a little bit of angst with a callback to Gaza, but still mostly lovey dovey domestic Josh and Donna). Happy 4th of July to all the readers in the US! **

**And as I always write with any chapter that has any sexual content- please don't read this if you are under 18 years old. **

July 4th, 2008

"Say Good morning, Mama!" Josh smiled as he picked up Noah's little hand to wave at Donna.

"Awww good morning Little Mouse! Happy first Fourth of July baby boy!" Donna cooed as she smiled at Noah, who was just five days shy of being five months old. He closed his tiny fist and made a little whimper, which his parents recognized as his familiar sign of "I'm hungry".

"Looks like someone wants to eat," Josh chuckled as he sat on the bed next to Donna, passing Noah to her. "He looks so much like you," Josh commented as he gently ran his fingers through Noah's soft, blond curls.

"But he has your dimples and unruly curly hair." They had noticed Noah's first smile nearly two months before, and Donna almost cried when she saw two very deep dimples, identical to Josh's. She loved her husband's dimples.

"He's perfect," Josh whispered. Being a husband and father had shifted his priorities. There was no "burning the midnight oil at both ends" in the West Wing anymore. The only times he stayed late was when he absolutely had to, and those times almost always involved the Situation Room. Politics and the White House had at one point, been his entire life, his number one priority. All that changed the day he and Donna set foot on an airplane to Hawaii.

They sat in comfortable silence on the bed as Donna nursed Noah. Josh still couldn't believe that this was his life, that he had gotten so lucky. There were times when he would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic, wondering if it was all a dream, but then he would quickly realize that his arm was wrapped around Donna as she slept soundly. He would feel his panic surface again as he thought about Noah. Was he a dream? On those nights, Josh found himself wandering into his son's nursery to watch over him for a few minutes while he slept peacefully in his crib. He would often have to remind himself not to pick Noah up and hold him, don't disturb the sleeping baby, he would tell himself. Often enough, Noah would wake up an hour or two later crying, and Josh would smile, as Noah's demanding cries were a constant reminder that yes, his life with Donna and their Little Mouse was real.

O0o0oo0o0o0o0oo0

"So what's the plan for today, ya know before we head into the White House to prepare for the President's speech," Josh asked as he joined Donna on the couch while taking a bite of his bagel breakfast sandwich.

Oh I thought we could be a little lazy, I mean we could go to the parade or we could just watch it on tv. We do have headphones for Noah if we decide to go . . ." Donna trailed off.

"Lazy? I like the sound of that!" Josh's enthusiasm radiated off his body as he put his sandwich down and leaned towards Donna, gently pressing her down against the couch as he slowly got on top of her, trailing kisses down her neck as his hands started to wander.

"Oh so lazy includes sex, Joshua?" Donna asked with mirth as she continued to relax under Josh's touch.

"Well when you said lazy Donnatella, I thought you meant just ya know, being naked around the house and having sex."

"I wasn't very clear, so we could interpret lazy by your definition . . ."

"Little Mouse is asleep," Josh nodded towards the nursery. 'I could uhh ya know shut his door quietly. He's usually out for an hour or two . . ."

"Okay but first . . ."

"Yeah . . .?!" Josh was getting excited about their "lazy" morning plans.

"Let me finish my breakfast."

"WHAT?!"

"What I'm hungry Pumpkin Patch."

"Donnnnnnna."

"Don't 'Donnnnnna' me Mr. Lyman. And besides, don't you _want_ me to have some stamina for ya know, lazy Fourth of July?"

"Yes, God yes, stamina. Eat, in fact eat mine too."

"Hmph, that's what I thought."

"Hmph?"

"Yes you heard me Josh," Donna teased as she worked on finishing her breakfast. "Eat Joshua, you need your stamina too . . ." Donna gave him a saucy grin, the one that she knew drove her husband wild.

He finished his breakfast in record time.

O0o0oo0o0o0o0oo0

"Mmm I love lazy Fourth of July . . ." Josh whispered as he kissed Donna's temple and continued to draw light circles on her back with his finger.

"I can tell . . ." Donna snuggled closer to Josh and closed her eyes, enjoying the comfort of his body heat against the air conditioning flowing through their bedroom.

"I think you liked it too Mrs. Lyman, you're just being coy . . ."

"You got me Mr. Lyman . . ." Donna smiled as she slowly climbed on top of Josh, straddling his hips. "I loved it so much," she said between languid kisses, "That I wish we could do it again."

"Do we have time!?" He asked with palpable excitement.

"No," Donna replied with a pout. "But let's save round two for tonight."

"Ahh-kay."

"We should be home tonight around 10, after the fireworks . . ." Donna began as she made her way over to the closet.

"Yeah ummm about that. Do we need to watch the fireworks? I mean the Santos family would understand if we left before the show, ya know with Noah being so little and all."

Donna knew that Josh was evading the real reason for not wanting to see the fireworks. She had always been able to read him, to understand him.

"Sweetheart . . ." Donna began as she sat next to Josh, who was now busying himself by looking down at his hands. "Joshua," she cupped his face to look him in the eyes. "Baby this isn't about Noah, is it?"

"No," he sighed as he reached for Donna, holding her close.

"It's about Gaza, isn't it?"

A moment passed before Donna heard his quiet "Yes."

"It's okay Josh. I'm okay. I'm doing much better with fireworks. Remember last year?" And he did remember last year, he remembered it perfectly. Donna wanted to watch the fireworks. She wanted to face her fears and prove to herself that she could cope if she ever found herself near fireworks in the future. So they stood in his office and he held her close as they watched from the window. Josh constantly checked to make sure Donna was okay. At that point Donna was just about two months pregnant, and Noah was their little secret for the time being. It was the first time they watched fireworks together after Gaza, and Josh couldn't help but be overprotective.

On their trip to Hawaii, they had talked about almost everything their second night there. They sat on the beach and were honest with one another about their thoughts and feelings. It was then Josh learned that Donna's trauma in Gaza had resulted in PTSD, and fireworks were a trigger for her. He remembered sitting on the beach thinking about the fireworks at the White House just barely a month after the bombing in Gaza, and everyone on staff had to watch per President Bartlet's request. Josh didn't watch the fireworks with her, as he had been too busy dealing with the changes in the White House . . . And Donna had been forced to endure something that she had loved just a year prior, but now caused her immense pain. He knew _exactly_ what that felt like.

He remembered sitting on the beach and thinking about the Santos campaign and how at one point they were barely on speaking terms. Josh learned that Donna had spent the evening in her hotel room that year trying to block out the sounds of the Fourth of July fireworks. She was alone and scared, and it never dawned on him that something might be wrong. He had even mentioned the next day that he hadn't seen her at the fireworks show, she just shrugged and said she was working in her room, like it was no big deal.

And today, like that night on the beach, he felt like he had failed her, and he wasn't sure if that feeling would ever go away.

"I know you did great last year. I just, I just . . ."

"Josh, stop beating yourself up over this. You don't need to feel guilty."

"But I do, Donna. I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I . . . I missed the signs. How could I not know you were in pain? Why didn't I realize that you watching fireworks after the bombing might be painful? Why didn't I realize that you not showing up to the Fourth of July event during the Santos campaign was a red flag?"

"Because I hid it Josh. I hid it from you, I hid it from everybody. I didn't let anybody know I was in pain. My PTSD is different than yours, mine I could hide. But like I said in Hawaii, I should have told you. I should have reached out. I should have asked you for help."

"Kate Harper noticed." Josh's words were laced with guilt.

"I couldn't hide my pain from Kate. She's trained to find that kind of thing. What matters is that I got help and over time I got better. You remember what Stanley said to you, We get better."

"Yeah," Josh smiled a little as he thought about Stanley's words, and quietly repeated them to Donna.

"How about this- We go to the fireworks and if I start to feel overwhelmed, I will squeeze your hand. We are watching from the residence anyway, so I can always just politely excuse myself. Then when the fireworks are over, we can come home and read Corduroy's 4th of July to Noah.

"Ah-kay, deal," Josh agreed and smiled as he sealed the deal with a gentle kiss. He remembered how they came home last year after the fireworks and he read the same story to Donna's then tiny baby bump. He loved how reading this story to Noah was becoming a Fourth of July tradition.

"And Josh?" She waited a moment before continuing. "I know if I had told you what was going on with me, that you would have been there for me in a heartbeat. Just like you dropped everything in the middle of a crisis and flew to Germany. And last year, in your office, you were incredible. I just need you to know that. And I love you so, so much."

It was exactly what he needed to hear to feel better, and he couldn't help but reach over and hold her close. He loved her more than anything. "I love you too Donnatella, so much." He whispered in her ear as he continued to hold her.

"Little Mouse should be stirring by now, let's get him dressed in his cute Fourth of July outfit," Donna smiled as she kissed Josh's cheek.

"K," he smiled back before they threw on their bathrobes and made their way into the nursery to get their baby boy ready for the day.

O0o0oo0o0o0o0oo0

President Santos' Independence Day Speech had been met with the thunderous roar of applause from the crowd. He was a well loved president, and the people were letting him know. After the presidential events were over and a brief senior staff meeting was held in Josh's office, The Santos family invited everyone up to the residence for a Fourth of July BBQ. Noah slept soundly most of the day in his navy blue overalls and American flag onesie. Josh and Donna let Miranda Santos "babysit" Noah while he slept. She sat quietly next to him and read a book not ten feet away from everyone. And when the fireworks came around, Donna did great. The two of them sat on a couch together on the patio with a sleeping Noah, who was wearing a very fashionable set of headphones to cancel out the noise. And when it was over, they went home and read Corduroy's 4th of July to their Little Mouse. And just before placing him in his crib, Josh and Donna gave their son a kiss on each cheek and whispered, "Happy First Fourth of July, Noah Lyman!"

And before they went to bed that evening, Josh and Donna made sure to get back to their "lazy" Fourth of July plans. Probably another tradition that they would continue for years to come.

Thanks for reading!


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